Adult entertainer Justin Heath Smith, known by his porn name of “Austin Wolf,” has been arrested and charged by the FBI in New York with sending and receiving “hundreds of video of child pornography.”
Mr. Smith is scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court on Friday on one count of distribution and receipt of child pornography. According to the U.S. Attorney of The Southern District of New York, Smith used Telegram to exchange hundreds of videos with another person, whose phone was seized by the FBI. Then, prosecutors said an undercover FBI agent used that person’s Telegram account to chat with Smith.
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Federal authorities ultimately conducted a search back in April of the 43-year-old’s Manhattan apartment, where prosecutors said an SD card was recovered containing hundreds of videos of child porn. According to the press release, the videos recovered allegedly contained children as young as infants, and in at least one case depicted a 10-year-old child bound and raped by a man.
“I want to make it clear: those who distribute child sexual abuse images prey upon the most vulnerable in our society. Each image is a crime scene, leaving lasting scars on innocent victims,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge James Smith said in a statement on Friday. “The FBI is relentless in our pursuit of these perpetrators. We will track them down, arrest them, and ensure they face justice for the harm they cause.””
A Shockingly Short Maximum Sentence
The charge against Smith carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years. If proven guilty—and it sounds like the evidence provided should make that so—this writer believes 20 years to be far too lenient. For example, in the United States, possession of cannabis can potentially carry a life sentence, such was the case with non-violent, first time offender John Knock. Surely, Austin Wolf’s alleged crime is far worse.
EDIT: As of 6/28/24, Men.com has removed mention of Austin Wolf from its social media pages and website.
EDIT: Advocate.com reports that Justin Smith’s attorney, Thomas H. Andrykovitz, says “The government’s press release contains nothing but unproven and untested allegations against a man that is presumed innocent.” No official plea has been entered in court at this time.
Sources: Out.com, Justice.gov
1 comment
Austin told me a few years ago his name was Justin Heath Smith…..dont know who told the media hiz name is James. He graduated high school in Burleson, Tx.